Libby Booth needs improvements
The office entrance to Libby Booth School, home of the bruins, has been painted to resemble a cabin in the woods.
As the Washoe County School District community identify ways to raise money for new schools and revitalization of existing schools, we take a look at some of the older campuses and their needs.
Libby Booth Elementary is a year-round, single-track school in southeast Reno.
The school has the largest transience rate in the Washoe County School District, with 54.4 percent of students enrolling in and out of the school in 2006-2007. Principal Stacey Ting-Senini said the school has about 10 students who have attended Booth from kindergarten through sixth grade.
Booth also is a Title One school, which means it has a high percentage of low-income children. About 89 percent of Booth’s students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Title One schools receive federal funds to ensure that their children meet state academic requirements.
About
- Address: 1450 Stewart St., off of Mill Street
- Phone: 333-5140
- Year built: 1956
- Enrollment: 524
- Capacity: 568
- Fun fact: Booth’s mascot is the bruins, and the school’s colors are blue and gold.
- Hot topic: Some of Booth’s classrooms have a bad odor because of the old drainage and sewer system in the school, Ting-Senini said.
Renovations needed
As with most schools that are more than 50 years old, there are some challenges, Ting-Senini said. Among them are Booth’s old flooring, computers, drainage system, sidewalks and paint.
“The tile is so old. (It’s) from the ‘50s,” Ting-Senini said. “The tile is lifting from the floors in the classrooms.”
New carpeting was installed in some of the classrooms, but most still need an upgrade, she said.
A new drainage system is needed to avoid ice hazards, Ting-Senini said. Originally, the school’s roof was built on a slope to have snow and rain fall off smoothly onto the sidewalk. But the rain and snow collects on the school pathways, making them dangerous for students during the winter.
Ting-Senini said Booth could use more space, too. During assemblies, lunch and other activities, the school uses one multipurpose room. During performances, students sit on the floor.
A new coat of paint also would be ideal, she said. The school’s outside walls have patches of different colored paint because of past graffiti problems.
Technology
Each class has at least one computer, with some sixth-grade classes having as many as four computers. Students also can use the computer lab for 30 minutes each week, Ting-Senini said.
Ting-Senini said the Internet on the computers becomes slow when too many computers are logged on at once.
The school also has three SMART Board interactive whiteboards.
This article originally appeared in Reno Gazette-Journal.
